Iran, through Pakistani mediators, has presented the United States a new proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war, while deferring nuclear negotiations to a later stage, Axios reported, citing a U.S. official and two sources. The U.S. State Department and White House did not immediately comment.
Tehran has long insisted Washington formally acknowledge its right to enrich uranium for what Iran says are peaceful purposes; Western powers view Iran’s enrichment as potentially aimed at weapons development.
A fragile ceasefire has halted full-scale fighting that began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, but no final agreement has been reached to end the conflict that has killed thousands, driven up oil prices, fuelled inflation and clouded global growth prospects.
Latest developments:
– Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called his visit to Islamabad “very productive,” saying he held “good consultations” with Pakistan’s leadership about how and under what conditions talks with the U.S. could proceed. He made the remarks upon arriving in St. Petersburg for talks in Russia.
– U.S. forces enforcing a maritime blockade on Iranian ports have turned back 38 ships, directing them to return to port, U.S. Central Command said.
– Oil prices rose about 2% while U.S. stock futures slipped in Asian trade after weekend stalling of U.S.-Iran peace talks left Gulf shipping constrained.
– Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf said Iran also holds key “cards” to influence oil supply, referencing the Strait of Hormuz (SOH), the Bab el-Mandeb (BEM) and pipelines. He suggested some routes are threatened or partly used as leverage while others remain unused.
– Casualties since the war began include at least 3,375 people killed in Iran and 2,509 in Lebanon, where Israel-Hezbollah fighting resumed shortly after the Iran conflict started. Also reported: 23 killed in Israel, more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states, 15 Israeli soldiers in Lebanon, 13 U.S. service members in the region, and six U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.
– The Strait of Hormuz remains central to diplomacy. Iran has restricted movement through the strait while the U.S. enforces a blockade. Iran has tried to persuade Oman to back a mechanism to collect tolls from vessels transiting the waterway; Oman’s response was not immediately clear.
– Araghchi made a brief return to Islamabad as Pakistan’s political and military leadership worked to revive ceasefire negotiations. The White House had planned to send envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to follow up on earlier face-to-face talks, but President Donald Trump said he called off the mission amid a lack of progress and suggested direct phone contact instead.
– Araghchi arrived in St. Petersburg to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin after shuttle diplomacy in Oman and Pakistan, seeking broader international support for Iran’s de-escalation proposal.
– U.S.-Iran disagreements extend beyond the nuclear file and control of the strait. Washington seeks limits on Iran’s backing for regional proxies such as Hezbollah and Hamas and constraints on Tehran’s missile capabilities. Iran seeks sanctions relief and an end to Israeli attacks on Hezbollah. The conflict has destabilised the Middle East, with Iran striking Gulf neighbours and renewed Israel-Hezbollah clashes in Lebanon, where recent Israeli strikes killed 14 and wounded 37, according to Lebanese health authorities.
